No bees will stingHoney, we have a problem. Recent reports of a massive decline in honeybee populations across the nation has researchers, bee keepers and farmers scratching their heads. What experts have called Colony Collapse Disorder (CDC) has been confirmed in five states. Some keepers have lost about 80 percent of their bee colonies, according to www.discovery.com. The bees marketed product - honey - is only the tip of the species' true impact on agricultu...

Are we rearing hate?Evidently, some are. Hate is as much a part of being human as love is. Love and hate are the polar extremes of who we are. Unfortunately, more members of our society than previous years are sliding down the slope of racism and hatred. The fuel seems to be an unprecedented common ground between radical right hate groups and the ever-growing displeasure in the mainstream for illegal immigration. As more and more residents place illegal immigrati...

News Thoughts: Thanks for nothingBy Sean Ingram News Editor I noticed yesterday was the anniversary of the 1970 shootings at Kent State. For those who don't know how to enjoy the History Channel or PBS, on May 4, 1970, Ohio National Guard troops started shooting at college students during a Vietnam war protest. Before the day was over, four students were dead, nine wounded. On this anniversary, Kent State's Victory Bell rang 32 times at midmorning for last month's victims of ...

Behind the Lines: Project needs your helpBy Scott Perkins / Editor If you could do something this week that could positively impact a child for the rest of their life, would you do it? Sure you would. What if the same action could also potentially impact our local culture and quality of life for years to come? Again, sounds like a no-brainer, right? Actually, it's all about brains, literacy and education and the difference between teaching someone how to fish or just feeding them onc...

Another day, another bill, another vetoTwo days after President Bush vetoed the Iraq war spending bill - only his second veto of his presidency - the House of Representatives passed a bill Thursday that the White House also threatened to veto. The bill would extend the hate crimes category to include sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or disability and give federal authorities greater leeway to participate in hate-crime investigations. It would approve $10 million over the...

A race with favoritesBy Scott Perkins / Editor As sure as you're reading this column, cancer has probably touched your life. It has either claimed a loved one away from you, knocked on your door or altered life as your family and friends know it. Cancer is the defining disease of many generations; however, it's not the presence of cancer cells that define those affected. The way cancer patients and survivors fight truly defines them as people. For some, that fight...

Guest editorial: Keepin' it cleanWe've all driven through them • towns littered with paper and plastic soda bottles caught in the grass growing around discarded rusty farm equipment where it looked like no one really lived anymore. George Kelling cited a compelling theory in "Broken Windows." He demonstrated signs of physical decay such as buildings with broken windows and litter inviting further decay in our communities. "Litter and illegally dumped materials attract crime a...

Festive times have begunThis is the time of year that makes living in the Arkansas River Valley so special. Festivals are what makes our communities so unique. Whether you're from out of town diligently working during the current Arkansas Nuclear One outage (see today's front page), or gearing up for another Poke Sallet Festival, Creek Fest, Pickle Fest, Free State of Yell Fest, etc., every community and every county in the valley has something for everyone in the co...

Spoils of war rooted in WashingtonSee bill pass Senate. See bill vetoed. See political posturing on the left and a stubborn administration on the right. The circus in Washington might even be entertaining in our reality-driven world if only our troops didn't depend on our politicians to lead them. Maybe we should set up a tent in the most dangerous area of Iraq; fill it with seats for our representatives, senators and president and make them govern with mortars exploding all a...

Heroes made from truth, not liesDeeply ingrained in the American psyche is the reverence and need for heroes. Stories of men and women of courage, action and heroism speak directly to our national identity as rugged individualists, "Git 'er done" folks who pull themselves up by their bootstraps when times are hard. When Pat Tillman, handsome in that All-American way, left a promising career in the NFL to join the U.S. Army in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks...

Airport clear for take offAn airport not only serves a community as a place for airplanes to be stored, refuel, take off and land. Russellville Regional Airport, owned by the city, has been cleared for take off to become a first-class facility in the near future. Last week, we reported Mayor Tyrone Williamson signed the paperwork for approval of a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grant, to the tune of $1 million, to relocate and renovate the airport's taxiway. Thi...

After death, killers allowed to manipulate media, publicHis hate-filled scowl has been seen on the major news channels, network news broadcasts and countless Web sites since Wednesday night, when NBC released video and photos sent in by the Virginia Tech gunman. Dressed as some kind of makeshift action-movie hero, Cho Seung-Hui is shown in different locations, clutching different weapons, including a hammer. In one photo, he is pointing a handgun toward to camera; in another, he is pressing a gun a...

Newcomers soon to head your wayEvery spring, The Courier newsroom updates, designs and publishes our annual "Newcomers - Welcome to the River Valley" special section. We actually begin updating the information at the end of January. By April, we've made hundreds of phone calls, e-mails and faxes to ensure we produce a useful product for new residents, visitors and longtime familiar faces. This year's Newcomers edition is one of the best we've ever done. It features more col...

Tragedy grips Virginia Tech, shocks campuses across nationLife's day-to-day routine has a way of luring us away from reality. But as sure as the sun rose Monday, a tragedy jolted us back into a very real world with very real heartache. Monday morning on the campus of Virginia Tech at Blacksburg, students found themselves in an war-like environment with gunshots ringing in the air. Thirty-three people - including students, faculty and the gunman - lost their lives in what has been defined as the deadl...

What's in a name?Identity, reputation and perception are all characteristics usually tagged with a name. Businesses go to great lengths to establish name recognition among customers. When buy outs or mergers occur, and businesses change names, they spend time and money ensuring their market position will not suffer due to altered verbage. Locally, we've seen recent changes in banking and communications. The Courier hasn't always had such a simple name either. ...

Power of the penny will be in your handsThe Russellville City Council is anticipated to read for the third time and approve ordinances asking citizens to continue the 1-cent sales tax for six more years when it meets at 6 p.m. Thursday. We believe continuing the sales tax is one of the most, if not the most, important decision facing Russellville residents not just this year, but for many years to come. At stake June 12 - when a special election is scheduled to take place - is not o...

Time to move onRecent events in the national news and in Russellville remind us that once something takes place, it can't be taken back. Either after some apologies or some afterthought, it's time to move on. Radio host Don Imus -who could be heard around here a few years ago simulcast from a Little Rock station before it started broadcasting other garbage - made a statement about the Rutgers women's basketball team that outraged listeners and set off a nati...

Life's abyss: A Salute to FoolsSure, April Fools' Day was nearly two weeks ago, but it's never too late for a Salute to Fools: Don Imus. Boy, he's really done it this time. After nearly four decades of broadcasting, and even an induction into the National Broadcaster Hall of Fame, three words have, if not ended, then definitely given a major blow to Imus' career. CBS Radio announced Thursday it is firing him, a day after MSNBC said it would no longer be simulcasting his rad...

Meth fight goes digitalUsers and cooks of methamphetamine - the fastest growing illegal substance in our community today - commonly use digital scales to measure out their purchases or sales. Three counties in northeast Arkansas have added a digital factor of their own to fight against meth's unique home-made creation. It's made from several different ingredients that can be obtained in any community. The most common ingredient in all meth is pseudoephedrine, found ...

Don't forget your ticketsNext month, hundreds of Arkansas River Valley high school and college seniors will take the next step in their academic lives - graduation. Many graduation ceremonies involve not just the senior class of 2007, faculty and administrators, but family and friends who travel from throughout the state and country to attend this milestone in a student's life. Several of these events take place at John E. Tucker Coliseum on the campus of Arkansas Tec...